Almost nobody in the Big 12 can believe it, either. Four weeks into the season, the Bears were exactly where most people thought they’d be after Robert Griffin III moved on, which was 3-4 after opening with three soft wins and losing their first four conference games. In an eye-popping finish, though, Baylor knocked off top-ranked, unbeaten Kansas State, high-powered Texas Tech and No. 23 Oklahoma State.

HOW UCLA GOT HERE

The Bruins will be smiling on arrival after the short drive south, but only to hide their disappointment. UCLA was well-positioned to go to its first Rose Bowl since New Years Day of 1999, clinching the Pac-12 South championship with a week to spare and beating arch-rival USC to do it. The Bruins took a 9-2 record into a relatively meaningless finale against Stanford, lost that one at home and fell again to the Cardinals just six days later in the conference-title game.

THREE PLAYERS TO WATCH FROM BAYLOR

Nick Florence, QB: Florence is the country’s total-offense leader with 4,652 yards – he fell just 172 yards shy of Griffin’s school record for passing yards in a single season -- not to mention a top scholar.

Terrance Williams, WR: First-team, All-America, leading candidate for Biletnikoff Award (((to be announced Dec. 6). Four times in 2012, Williams posted double-digit receptions, including 17 for 314 of his nation-leading 1,764 yards and two of his dozen touchdown catches.

Lache Seastrunk, RB: The top rusher among four different Bears with 437 ground yards or more, Seastrunk impressed people more with that much-replayed, 76-yard touchdown run against Oklahoma State, the last 45 yards of which he bravely limped off with a strained hamstring and four Cowboys on his heels.

THREE PLAYERS TO WATCH FROM UCLA

Brett Hundley, QB: A redshirt freshman, Hundley already has the look of a potential future Heisman. He threw for 26 touchdowns and 11 interceptions, completing 68.2 percent of his passes, but also rushed for 365 yards and nine TD’s.

Johnathan Franklin, RB: With his 1,700 yards, Franklin set UCLA’s records for both single season and career rushing, ranking fifth in the nation in 2012.

Anthony Barr, LB: Until last year, he was a running back, but now he hits holes in quests of quarterbacks. He’s found them often enough to lead the nation with 13 ½ sacks.

BAYLOR HEAD COACH ART BRILES

In between their season-ending win over Oklahoma State and their trip to San Diego, the Bears pulled off what they consider a major triumph, a contract extension that kept Briles from being wooed away by Arkansas. People outside Texas might’ve thought Baylor’s high-scoring games were solely attributable to Griffin's greatness, but Briles is well-known in the Lone Star State for his wide-open offenses.

UCLA HEAD COACH JIM MORA

Even before his father had secured his first gig in the National Football League – the elder Jim Mora would become head coach of the New Orleans Saints, then the Indianapolis Colts -- the younger Jim Mora was in the NFL as a 23-year-old quality-control coach with the Chargers of 1985. He spent seven seasons with the Bolts before moving on to eventually become head coach of the Atlanta Falcons and Seattle Seahawks. Taking over a program that went 6-8 a year ago, Mora finished his first season at UCLA with a 9-4 record, 6-3 in conference.

WHY BAYLOR WILL WIN THIS GAME

The Bruins didn’t have to deal with Oregon this year, but in the green-clad Bears of Baylor, UCLA will be facing an offense that rang up more yardage than the wild-winging Ducks and any other team in the country. The only offense in the land to average 300 yards passing and 200 yards rushing per game over the entire season, Baylor scored an average of 44.1 points. Also note that Baylor’s defense intercepted 18 passes, returning three picks for touchdowns.

WHY UCLA WILL WIN THIS GAME

Nobody, but nobody, the Bears played all year had anywhere near the pass rush that UCLA brings. Led by Barr, UCLA was fourth in the country with 44 sacks. More importantly, though, Baylor is ill-equipped to stop Franklin. The Bears average 190 rushing yards allowed per game, which is almost exactly the number Franklin amassed (with two touchdowns) against a Stanford defense that ranked No. 1 nationally against the run.